Realty Times - Americans Are On The Move

Front Page

NEED HELP?

Click for Live Support

Call: 214-353-6980

Americans Are On The Move

by Lew Sichelman

Moving ranks right up there with death and divorce as an experience most people would rather forget. Yet between 1998 and 1999, 16 percent of the population -- some 43 million Americans -- went through the trauma of uprooting their families and moving from one residence to another.

As usual, most moves were short-haul, according to the Census Bureau. Indeed, the majority of movers remained in the same county. But that probably didn't lesson the horror of it all, at least not for many folks.

Only about 20 percent moved to another county in the same state, and just 18 percent moved to a new state.

Also, only 3 percent of the movers came to the United States from abroad. But that's still about 1.4 million people. Of that total, 40 percent were White, 32 percent were Hispanic, 22 percent were Asian or Pacific Islander and 7 percent were African American.

Renters are by far the most nomadic. About one in three renters moved between March 1998 and March 1999, Census reported, compared with fewer than one in ten homeowners. With a net gain of 270,000, the South was the only region with a significant population increase as a result of internal migration between 1998 and 1999.

But the Northeast had the lowest moving rate at just 12 percent, followed by the Midwest (15 percent), the South (17 percent) and the West (19 percent)

As always, moving rates declined with age: 32 percent of people in their 20s moved during the 12-month period while only 5 percent of those 65 and over changed places.

Published: July 14, 2000

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Related Articles:

When Lew Sichelman first started writing about housing in 1969, he was the youngest real estate writer in the country. Now, 37 years later, he's one of the oldest -- and most decorated.

He has been rated the top housing columnist in the country by the National Association of Realtors as well as by his peers in the National Association of Real Estate Editors. Indeed, NAREE has recognized his work on numerous occasions. One year - due to his advancing age, he can't recall which one - he earned top honors in the annual NAREE Journalism Contest in three out of the four major writing categories. It was the first time one writer has won so many NAREE awards in a single year.

Known for his ability to make even the most difficult topics understandable, Sichelman also has been honored by the National Association of Home Builders and the Mortgage Bankers Association.

He began providing in-depth coverage of and consumer-oriented information about housing and housing finance at the Washington Daily News, where he was real estate editor. He held that same position for nine more years at the Washington Star, which purchased the News in 1972.

The Star, a so-called "writer's newspaper" which also had the misfortune of being an evening paper, was put out of its misery in 1981, and Sichelman, who had begun self-syndicating his column in 1978, decided to become a full-time columnist. Today, his column, "The Housing Scene," is distributed by United Media to newspapers throughout the country.

He also is on the staff of National Mortgage News, an independent newspaper which is considered the bible of the mortgage business. And he writes for numerous other publications, including MarketWatch.com, where he answers readers questions once a week, Sports Illustrated (don't ask), RealtyTimes.com, BigBuilder and others.

Sichelman is married, the father of five and grandfather of eleven.

Real Estate News Network